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Episode 237: Into the Great White North
58 Plays9 years ago
We encountered several technical difficulties in attempting to get this week’s show into your earholes, but we like to think it was worth it. Richard Farley joined Jeremiah in the first segment and they basically broke down the Colorado Rapids series while looking head to the MLS Cup matchup with Toronto FC.
Both basically agreed that while TFC is scoring in bunches, their defense leaves plenty of room for question marks. Conversely, this is a Sounders defense that has allowed just three goals in five playoff games. The prospect of this being a bit of a shootout seem reasonably strong.
As usual, Jeremiah and Aaron close out the show with a question-and-answer segment. Enjoy.
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Transcript
Sponsorship Introduction
00:00:00
Speaker
This episode of Nos Adietes is sponsored by Designers Marble. Designers Marble is the premier custom cultured marble manufacturer in the Pacific Northwest. Their synthetic marble products, made with patented true stone technology, offer the beautiful look of natural stone at a fraction of the cost, while maintaining exceptional durability and ease of maintenance.
00:00:23
Speaker
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Seattle Sounders' Triumph in Western Conference
00:00:52
Speaker
Christmas has come early to Cascadia after eight years. The wait is finally over. Seattle and Western Conference champions and will play in MLS Cup. We're not finished yet, Ozzy.
00:01:47
Speaker
The bluest skies you've ever seen are in Seattle And the hills the greenest green in Seattle Like a beautiful child growing up
Hosts and Episode Introduction
00:02:05
Speaker
Welcome back to another edition of NOS Adietes, sponsored by Fullpool Wines, Constellation & Company, Queen Anne Acupuncture, Verity Credit Union, and our newest sponsor, Designers Marble. This is episode 237, and we're recording on Wednesday or Thursday, November or December 1st. I'm all mixed up. I am your host, Jeremiah Shannon, and I'm joined by this week's co-host, Richard Farley. Aaron Campo and Lickett will be joining us on the show in the question and answer segment.
Sounders' Offense vs. Colorado Rapids
00:02:29
Speaker
But for now, let's talk about the sounders making it to their first ever MLS Cup. You probably know all about that to a certain degree. You probably even know that they're going to be playing Toronto FC on December 10th after
00:02:45
Speaker
an absolutely crazy Eastern Conference final. But before we get into the opponent, let's take a minute to bask in the glory of this performance by the Sounders. I was personally extremely impressed by how they handled the Rapids, who came into the game with the league's best defense and not having lost at home. The Sounders responded with three goals and managed to win at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. It wasn't the most decisive victory, but it was impressive. Am I being a homer, or do you actually share that sentiment with me, Richard?
Sounders' Defensive Strategy
00:03:14
Speaker
No, I definitely share it. I think that if the legs were reversed in Seattle, performed that way in Colorado and took a one to nothing lead back to CenturyLink, everybody would be talking about how they handled their business and they did exactly what you should do on the road and they sat tight and they didn't allow any good chances and they generated and converted the best chance of the match. Everybody would just be in awe of the maturity of the Sounders and how they handled the situation. As a second leg where they were up going into it and really
00:03:42
Speaker
could play exactly the way that they played and still the exact same plan that we saw Brian Schmetzer and still it was perfectly executed and the shot numbers of course favor Colorado but that's what game states are all about in this sport and the fact that they were able to craft that goal and Jordan Morris capped off a very memorable day with a very memorable finish
00:04:01
Speaker
I don't think there's anything not to be impressed about. Now you can say that maybe they didn't show the same kind of heights that Toronto did during their two legs against Montreal. They also didn't show the lows defensively that Toronto did. I think this was just a very good complete performance and while I don't think we necessarily saw the best out of the Sounders, in one way that makes it even more impressive that they were able to, except for giving up the first goal over the series, pretty much have this play off their way.
Sounders' Defensive Excellence in MLS History
00:04:31
Speaker
You know, I think one of the funny things that's come out of this playoff run is the Sounders have now given up three goals in five games. You know, if you average giving up three goals in five games over the course of the season, you're talking about maybe setting a record for, it won't be a record, but you're talking about stacking up with some of the best defenses in MLS history, and yet I feel like no one really talks about the Sounders defense, and maybe we're guilty of that as much as anyone else, but
00:05:01
Speaker
You know, there's a lot of attention played to Jordan Morris, to Nicholas Ledero, to the attack as a whole, to like the resurgence of Nelson Valdez, to the ability of Jovan Jones to get forward. You know, one of the things that we are constantly harping on Tyrone Mears about is his inability to be effective in the offensive third.
Sounders' Defensive Tactics Against Colorado
00:05:23
Speaker
All that said,
00:05:25
Speaker
the defense has been has been really impressive and you know i know that that there's a certain degree of blame that has to go at the feet of the rapids i mean they took 16 shots in that in that home lay in their home leg they didn't put a single one on frame according to paul car of espn that's a record
00:05:43
Speaker
for playoffs or otherwise in MLS. That's a lot of shots to take to not put on target. But at the same time, I think the Sounders deserve a lot of credit for forcing the Rapids into a lot of bad positions to shoot from. I think they only took four shots inside the penalty area. Most of those were really early in the game during that first 30 minutes when the Rapids were kind of pouring on the pressure. But I'm actually really encouraged by this defense.
00:06:11
Speaker
I don't know, maybe I'm being a Pollyanna about this, but I don't think that Toronto has faced anything like the defense that they're gonna face up until now.
Anticipation of Sounders vs. Toronto FC
00:06:21
Speaker
I think everything that you said there is true, even the beginning of it where you cast some doubts on the quality of attacks that Seattle has been facing. And I think that all year we had noted that Colorado's attack wasn't the strength of that team. FC Dallas had lost Mauro Diaz and Fabian Castillo by the time they made the playoffs.
00:06:43
Speaker
Sporting Kansas City, though, they actually played a really good game in Seattle. Seattle found a way to get through that, even though Seattle was probably second best team on the day. And I think the defensive performance was a big part of that. I think it can be both true that this year in particular, the attacks in the Western Conference playoffs just aren't that impressive, probably outside from Seattle's LA.
00:07:03
Speaker
All year was having trouble generating shots, except for a couple of spells during the season. We talked about the other teams that were in the playoffs. You look over at the East, it's nothing but impressive attacks. Red Bull with Bradley Wright Phillips, Montreal with Piate, Toronto, we saw what they did, scoring seven goals over two legs, and even NYCFC has David Villa. That being said, I think that, like you mentioned,
00:07:31
Speaker
Toronto hasn't faced a defense that has Chad Marshall and Roman Torres who you could probably say The way they're playing right now are probably both top six or eight center backs I think that Stephen Fry maybe he hasn't been as good as he was last year, but he certainly has been very good and The role that Ozzy Alonzo and Christian Roldan have forged in the middle I think that I think you're absolutely right to at least put it out there that Toronto is gonna have a very difficult time
00:08:01
Speaker
You think about Josie Altidore matching up with two physical center backs. He's been able to physically dominate in the Eastern Conference playoffs. You think of Sebastian Giavinko if he stays in the middle having to deal with both Aussie and Christian Roldan. And if he goes wide, he's going to have people that are quick enough to stay with him in Jovan Jones and Tyrone Mears.
00:08:20
Speaker
Yeah, I completely agree with you. If you go player for player or just based on the results, there's every reason to think that Seattle is going to have more success slowing down what's looking like an incredibly high powered Toronto team than any of those teams in the Eastern Conference did.
00:08:35
Speaker
Yeah, you know, you look at the numbers and 17 goals in five games is pretty remarkable. Now those goals have kind of come in tight bunches, which is kind of weird. You look at like how many of those goals Toronto has scored kind of as the game has gotten, has seemingly kind of gotten away from their opponents like in latent games or whatever, but still 17 goals in five games. There's no way around it. That's an impressive total.
00:09:00
Speaker
But, you know, I'm struck by that quote that Josie Altador had after the first leg. I can't remember who he was directing it to, but he suggested, oh, he needs to do more curls. I can't imagine him saying that about Roman Torres or Chad Marshall, who I think physically will very much be up to the task to handle a Josie Altador. Yeah, I agree.
00:09:19
Speaker
And, you know, I think Alonzo is, you know, all indications are that he's going to be just fine. I guess he had a slight knee sprain after that forced him out of the rapid game. So ridiculous that that game got to the point where Osvaldo Alonzo and other players' health
Officiating Concerns in Recent Matches
00:09:34
Speaker
were endangered. I mean, the play that Ozzy went out on, that's a play where if the game is called like it should have, somebody, because it was not only Ozzy, it was Matt Birch actually took out who else before Ozzy got taken out of it. It was, I think it was Mears.
00:09:47
Speaker
Yeah, well what happened was I think actually what happened was first? Dylan Powers took out Aussie Alonzo no foul gets called right and then Mark Burch takes out Tyrone Mears And I think he got a yellow card for that, but it was like just two really brutal tackles right after like
00:10:02
Speaker
And I thought Power's tackle was dangerous. By the time he made contact with Ozzy, he's sliding on his ass with his spikes up into him. And it was just an example of how that game was officiated and kind of fed into every complaint that Seattle coaching staffs and fans have had over the years of that official.
00:10:23
Speaker
I thought it was ridiculous and you saw really early on that the way that that game was being officiated from Stephen Fry's complaints early on to just some of the physical play that the rapids were going to have their chance to really physically try to dominate the sounders and unfortunately there were multiple injuries in this one.
00:10:42
Speaker
Yeah, you know, and the play that Jordan Morris got initially hurt on, it's kind of funny because in the moment, I don't feel like there was any mention at all on the broadcast of what a dirty tackle Zach McMath tried to put or did put on Jordan Morris. But if you watch the replay, I mean, he comes in with his, not just his cleats showing, but his like spikes up high. I mean, it's an exceptionally dangerous tackle and it's a tackle that's, you know, if that ball doesn't end up in the net,
00:11:11
Speaker
you almost have to assume it's a red card and a penalty. Because it was just, it was absolutely out of control. The replay show, like, I don't know, I don't know that I've seen a lot of times where the ball goes in and there's still a red card. And so maybe, I know that the laws of the game allow for that kind of thing, and so maybe it's just the way that we've grown accustomed to watching it, that you're just not used to seeing that. Certainly in a playoff game, it would have been a little surprising to see a red card come out there.
00:11:37
Speaker
But in a regular season game, I mean, I almost feel like you have to show that red card. And I thought that was even more amazing, was Zach McMath. After Morris got hit in the knee again and went down, Zach McMath seems to come up to him and is telling him to get up. And it's like, you got some balls, dude. You should be out of the game here.
00:11:58
Speaker
A couple of years ago, I can't remember who the goalkeeper was, but there was in the English Premier League a goalkeeper that did the same thing that Zach McBath did, only he physically tried to pick up a player who minutes later had to be stretchered off the field because he was actually injured. I think that has to be an automatic yellow card whenever you do something like that. Like if a player is down, you go over and you stand above him or you physically try to pick him up. That's just something that just within the scope of the game we just can't allow, like trying to take
00:12:24
Speaker
What does that ever work out in the kind of offending player's favor? Like, oh, I'm going to actually physically get you off the field to move this along. Like, that never works out. But the logic, there are tools within the game to manage that. If a player is sitting on the field and he's not hurt,
00:12:40
Speaker
That's the that's the lead official's concern. He'll add time to the game or he'll yellow card that person. It's not incumbent on the players to take justice into their own hands like that. And while I understand the frustration that a player like Zach McMath is going through during that time to call into question a player's health, that's just not shouldn't be put in the player's hands, basically, especially opposing players hands.
00:13:02
Speaker
Right, exactly. No, I totally agree.
Jordan Morris' Performance and Criticism
00:13:04
Speaker
But there was also in the first half where Nico got, Nicholas Lodero got chopped down like two times in a row and there was that brief moment when he was grabbing his right ankle. I think it, I know Azira was committed, committed one of the fouls, he might have committed both of them, but it wasn't something like, oh, you know, Michael Azira's a bad guy, or anybody from Colorado was a bad guy. It was just that, why are they letting this game be officiated like this? And it also happened in the second league of the Eastern Conference Finals where
00:13:27
Speaker
In the first half, three players go down holding their heads just because the play gets so out of control. This idea that in the playoffs, you have to swallow your whistle can't come secondary to people actually being in danger in a pure fitness sense. Yeah, and I think we're getting a little far off basis, but I do. It's an important subject. And I think, you know, like you look at the second leg that there was an early challenge by Josie Altador on Bernard Bernardo.
00:13:54
Speaker
Yeah, where he, I mean, he acted, I guess he was trying to convince the ref, I guess he was able to convince the referee that he was pushed into him. There's almost, I mean, there's virtually no contact on, on Alter. Alter just comes in with his elbows high, totally takes out the defender. I think he was a little lucky to be on the field. That said, you know, moving on from that, I guess that's, you know,
00:14:15
Speaker
Hopefully the the MLS Cup has a has a little bit more tighter officiating I don't not gonna hold out much for that. I suppose who's gonna be chosen. It's Alan Kelly. Yeah, that's gonna be that's actually kind of a best-case scenario Yeah, no, I mean he's been good and he's been
00:14:31
Speaker
You know, he's been the referee of the year both in 2015, 2016. I'm sure he's the only referee in the league that has UEFA Champions League experience. What's funny is that he was brought in kind of like as a
00:14:48
Speaker
I don't want to say he wasn't literally brought in as a scab, but he was brought in as someone who was outside of the referee union when there was that when you know when the referees were threatening to strike. I think years ago they had to go like two weeks with. Yeah, that's right. I guess it was.
00:15:08
Speaker
Right, and I guess that's what it was. So he's been with the league since 2014, but I don't think he was eligible for referee of the year in 2014 because he was outside of the union or something. But it's kind of funny to think about it like that. I don't know how they convinced him to come over to MLS because my understanding is that for the most part it's hard to switch federations like that if you're a referee.
00:15:30
Speaker
That aside, the one thing about the injury that Jordan Morris suffered is that it kind of helped underscore this kind of, I don't want to call it legendary performance because I think that does legitimately overstate how well he played, but all the elements that went into it were kind of the stuff of legends.
00:15:52
Speaker
He denied up and down that he actually had the flu. For that matter, if you look at what the flu actually is, Michael Jordan probably didn't have the flu either. But he was really adamant that he didn't have the flu. But he was clearly quite sick for two days before the game. He said he was still feeling sick the morning of the game. You maybe saw him a little sluggish in the first half. But his second half, he moves over to the left. He was absolutely everything the Sounders could have asked for, both going forward. He has the goal. Just a really perfect first touch.
00:16:20
Speaker
And then the kind of outside of the right boot finish that so many people like to give him shit for. But it's actually the you know, I don't know that he's able to score that particular goal with his left foot. And there's not a lot of players out there that can score that that shot with the outside of the right boot. But his outside of his right boot is so good that you can kind of understand why he has a bad or he doesn't like to use his left as much.
00:16:44
Speaker
Yeah, I mean there was an interesting commentary in the first half from Taylor Twelman who picked out a couple of moments where legitimately I think especially if you haven't watched every Sounders game this year you would wonder why Jordan Morris didn't use his left foot or somebody like Taylor Twelman who's trying to use that as a point of criticism and I think it's fair criticism.
00:17:00
Speaker
But there was a point in the first half where Jordan Morris kind of plays, tries to chip across with the outside of his right foot, and Taylor Twelman implied that he could have gotten that cross away quicker with his left foot. And I think one thing we should consider is that Jordan Morris is doing things to compensate with his right foot that may be just as quick as if he had actually taken the play with his left foot.
00:17:18
Speaker
Like on that particular play, he would have had to plant it with his right and then go through his technique with his left. Whereas if he just steps into the ball with what would otherwise be a plant step, but actually tries to flick it with his right foot. I think Jordan Morris has been not using his left foot for so long that he does things quicker with his right foot that helps compensate for it. I don't know if that's true or not. I want to put that theory on there.
00:17:39
Speaker
I think there's a lot of truth to that, and I think that he's, you know, and you can certainly argue that he is one-footed, but I don't think that it diminishes his overall game to the degree that some
Nelson Valdez's Impact on Morris
00:17:51
Speaker
make it out to be. Yeah, I think that there's no doubt he's one-footed, and I think we did see a point in the first leg where Jordan Morris switched over to the right for a little bit, had to come back with a shot on his left foot. It's like, okay, that's a legitimate thing, but this is kind of like, whenever you look at a short player and wonder why he isn't better in the air, it's just something you have to accept at some point.
00:18:08
Speaker
and you have to judge the person's contributions as a whole with that in mind and yeah of course if Jordan Morris had a left foot he'd be a better player but at some point we have to stop using it as a criticism in the same way we wouldn't criticize like a 5-5 person for not being 5-9.
00:18:26
Speaker
One of the things I also find amusing is that the only players that get maligned for being one-footed are right-footed players. Like, Marko Papa was equally, or if not more, left-footed than Jordan Morris' right foot. But you never really heard that as a criticism because he's left-footed. It's kind of like left-handed pitchers.
00:18:50
Speaker
players in soccer somehow get a pass in the same way. And I think in the same vein, the reason that they get a pass is because they are able to do stuff with their left foot that most players are not quite as accustomed to seeing because the ball is curling differently. But on the same token, Jordan Morris is able to do stuff with his right foot that players aren't accustomed to seeing players do with their right foot.
00:19:12
Speaker
you know and you like to me the one that stands out is that goal that he had the rapids goal i think is a great example of it but with the other one was that goal that he had against the the first goal he had against the galaxy in that 4-2 win where he's coming down the right wing and he just absolutely crushes this
00:19:27
Speaker
far post shot with the outside of his rainbow, which I don't think you see happen almost ever. I mean, yeah, I, you know, I think the whole thing about him not having a left foot or, you know, in Portland, they always say the same thing about Darlington Agbi. It's fair. But at the same point, there are other parts of Jordan Morris's games that technically aren't great either. But we're dwelling on this one thing, because I think in the back of our mind, we think much like a basketball player shooting free throws, well, if you just work at it, it's going to get better. But
00:19:54
Speaker
Much like a basketball player shooting free throws, sometimes it just doesn't happen. And sometimes you just have to accept that this player isn't perfect and move on. Well, and I think to the same token of shooting, you know, becoming a better free throw shooter is that there's always a cost benefit. The more time you spend becoming a better free throw shooter, the less time you're spending
00:20:16
Speaker
refining the other parts of your game that ultimately might be more important. Similarly, with Jordan Morris, can he improve his left foot, of course, but the more he overcompensates working on his left foot, that's time that he could be spending looking at film or doing whatever parts of the game that he could use improvement on. But moving on from Morris, the other player who, in that sequence, I don't feel like has gotten enough
00:20:43
Speaker
enough praise is the play of Nelson Valdez. And we talk about this, you know, Aaron and I talk about this in the question and answer segment. Spoiler alert, we're recording this out of out of order because of a technical difficulty. But we talk about how
00:20:58
Speaker
if given what we know now would we still take Nelson Valdez but I just putting that aside the way he trapped that ball the way that he put in that perfectly weighted pass Nelson Valdez had another very useful game and all of a sudden I'm starting to wonder if the best thing that happened to Jordan Morris was the emergence of Nelson Valdez playing as a nine and the ability to move Morris out to a more of a left wing type of player
00:21:24
Speaker
Because it's showcasing a whole different side of his game, but it's also letting Valdez kind of do things that he wasn't doing before. It at least is showing us that Jordan Morris is more than just one thing. And I think when we came into the year, we were really debating what Jordan Morris was, particularly because at the beginning of the year, Siggy Schmidt was trying to make him and Nelson and Clint work together.
00:21:47
Speaker
And so the lack of success of that lineup led a lot of people to go, you know, he's not this, he needs to be played as a nine, etc, etc. To me, you know, you go back to this whole old saying of like, you don't look at players in terms of position, you look at them as a collection of skills. And Jordan Morris's collection of skills clearly aren't just a number nine, if they're a number nine at all, I think you can definitely do that. But like you're saying here,
00:22:10
Speaker
He's in a much more valuable place when he can start to use some of that speed and athleticism and not be tied to a shoulder of a defender.
Brian Schmetzer's Tactical Flexibility
00:22:19
Speaker
And so it's great to see that he can do both. I think if, you know, Nelson didn't emerge and become a starting option again, I think Seattle probably would be fine.
00:22:27
Speaker
But like you said, Nelson is now doing things that go beyond just pure effort. He's going beyond just like a non-scoring Maxi or Rudy at this point. He's doing things that legitimately justify his place as one of the best 11 players on this team. It is an interesting conversation to think about what he would have to do to get to the point of not only justifying his salary, but justifying that precious DP spot. But at some point, those are just debates that don't really matter.
00:22:56
Speaker
the way that Schmetzer has arranged this team, I not only think it's the right choice, and I wasn't convinced when Nelson went back into the lineup, I wasn't convinced at all. But you're, at this point we know that Seattle seems to be much better in every second half, and they're able to do that without drastically changing their lineup at halftime. There's a lot of tactical flexibility in what Brian Schmetzer starts each game,
00:23:18
Speaker
And a lot of that has to do with Nelson being there as a steady point up top and being able to just tweak what Nico's doing a little bit, tweak what Jordan's doing a little bit, reposition if he's healthy, Eric Freberg, regardless of if he's healthy, reposition Christian Roldan. That kind of flexibility, I think, is a major reason why Seattle has been able to make adjustments after 45 minutes and be so much better in the second half than their opposition is.
00:23:43
Speaker
Yeah, you know, actually I'm thinking about it and I'm starting to wonder, like, is there a single game that under Schmetzer where the Sounders were roundly outplayed in the second half? The game at FC Dallas, the first one.
00:23:56
Speaker
the regular season where Dallas scored too late and oh right that's right I think that's the one that's right you're right that's totally that's that's you're totally right they will lead in that one and and they give up too late goals and they kind of got overwhelmed there on a couple uh late substitutions but other than that I mean it's been it's been very impressive I mean you look at the playoffs just the playoffs they have the the second half goal against the rapids in the
00:24:19
Speaker
in the second leg, they had a second half goal and they were far the better team in the second half in the first leg against the Rapids. They got the clinching goal essentially in the second half of the Dallas game after getting just pummeled in the first half.
00:24:36
Speaker
Uh, they were by far the better team. They got both of their goals in the second half of the first leg against Dallas. They got their goal in the second leg. I mean, the second half against sporting Kansas city. I mean, you just kind of stack all those up and it's, it's very impressive. And not to speak of the other, uh, 14 game, the other 14 games that they play on the regular season, which like you said, I think the one time is the only, the only one that
00:24:58
Speaker
The numbers are ridiculous. They're like, I'm sorry, I haven't updated these numbers in a couple of weeks, but they're like an even goal difference team in the first half in 19 games under Schmetzer, and then they're like plus 16 in the second half. It's almost inexplicably ridiculous. Like you have to think that both of those numbers will regress to a mean. But if we're trudging Brian Schmetzer by kind of traditional coaching metrics, and not just like, oh, new coach bounce metrics, which I guess studies show only last for like three or four games if it ever exists at all.
00:25:25
Speaker
we would be judging him in very, very high regard by those traditional standards.
00:25:30
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, you just look at this record, 12-3-4, it's hard to, you know, that's not just a supporter shield, that's, you know, MLS records. I mean, like, there's not a lot of 19-game runs that MLS teams have gone on at any point that's 12-3-4, let alone to finish your season on that kind of run, including the playoffs, including playing the two best teams in the league. I mean, that's a pretty good run, which probably brings us to the
Toronto FC's Playoff Formations
00:26:00
Speaker
a good place to talk about Toronto FC who if the Sounders haven't been the best team over the last 1920 games you probably got to give it to Toronto FC who is in their own right been very good towards the end of the season and they've been especially good in the playoffs.
00:26:16
Speaker
A lot of that transition, I guess in the playoffs, they've gotten a lot of credit for moving to this three-back offense, three-back formation, I should say. Although they are using two full-backs as wing-backs, so it's not like they have five midfielders on the field. They legitimately have five defenders on the field, although Bettschauer and Moro are both offensive-minded.
00:26:41
Speaker
full backs who have always been offensive minded so it's kind of a perfect scenario I guess to have wing backs in some way. But this three back formation really only started to click in the playoffs, is that right?
00:26:53
Speaker
Well, Vanny never stuck with it for long periods of time in the regular season. He had developed a way of going between three and four based on the matchups. So this, I think it's interesting that he has stuck with it during the playoffs because maybe it is just that the matchups are going a certain way. I tend to think of it as just this. He really likes his midfield shape with the three that he starts there.
00:27:13
Speaker
He has the Altator and Jiavinko who are both capable of being threatening in wide areas and don't really need that much help and attack. So why do you need to add more? I guess if you had special wingers or special forwards to put on there, that would make sense. But who else would he start instead of the situation he has right now? He has those two wing backs that can cover the flanks adequately. And he really doesn't have two elite center backs. I think Drew Moore is really good. But starting Hagelin or Zavaleta next to him,
00:27:43
Speaker
I think it's better if they go with three. Yeah, I mean it's funny to think of Zavaleta potentially winning an MLS Cup.
Eric Zavaleta's Transition to Toronto
00:27:51
Speaker
This was a player who obviously got to start with the Sounders and the Sounders envisioned him, I think, to Ziggy Schmid's credit, I guess. He saw him as a kind of possession-oriented center back. He thought he had the most upside as a center back despite he led the nation in scoring as a
00:28:08
Speaker
as a sophomore at Indiana, I believe. Or was it Ohio State? I don't remember, but in college he led the nation in scoring the year before he got drafted. I think he had 19 goals or something like that. And it was this big controversy whether he was going to play forward or center back. He'd really only played center back at the youth national team level. And Sigi basically went all in, at least during preseason. And then they realized that it was
00:28:32
Speaker
he wasn't really getting it, that he was going to have to, in order to get him on the field, they had to move him to forward. They still didn't get him on the field a ton. He ended up going on loan a couple times. He came back his second year, still didn't play much. I guess they still were kind of thinking of him as a center back. And at the time, Greg Vani, who is his uncle,
00:28:52
Speaker
was apparently the only person really interested in bringing him in, brought him in, and I think Sanders fans were kind of relieved, like, oh great, I guess he was like a high-priced player at that point, taking off our hands, and it's kind of impressive that he's turned into a very
00:29:10
Speaker
Adequate center back that said I haven't been impressed by what he's done It seems like he's still that still that their back line still seems like a legitimate weakness I mean essentially they have five defenders on the field, but only one of them is really anything like an elite defender Yeah, I think that this is where the tactical matchup could favor the Sounders I don't want to say the tactical matchup, but there's one matchup here that could favor the Sounders Zavaleta
00:29:34
Speaker
he was really targeted by Montreal. We saw Piate staying out left, going after him. We saw a lot of the play building through that side when they weren't purely counter-attacking through Domenico Dura on the other side. And obviously Toronto gave up five goals over two legs. The positive qualities that you said about Eric Zavaleta are still there. But when you're imagining a situation where
00:29:57
Speaker
Seattle can keep Morris behind the wing back. They can get Nico going to that side. You can get Nelson occupying Drew Moore, so the help isn't quite there. You're really putting Toronto in a situation where the Michael Bradleys of the world really have to help Eric Zavaletta a lot. And so that seems like a place to where, especially if you can get a Christian roll-down coming up and adding another man to that equation to offset the numbers,
00:30:20
Speaker
where Toronto could have success because if you're looking at those three center backs between Hagelin, Moore, and Zavaleta, there's a clear place that you'd want to attack. And with Zavaleta playing the right center back closer to Jordan Morris' side, that seems to favor the Sounders.
Exploiting Toronto's Weaknesses
00:30:34
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I got to think that this is one of those games that's destined to finish 3-2 or 4-3 or something like that. Of course, it will finish 1-0. Well, I think that one thing that it favors, we saw a lot of Toronto's success, particularly the second league against Montreal, come when the ball was in the air. Montreal was terrible, marking not even on set pieces. Yes, they certainly were.
00:30:53
Speaker
And obviously that's the strength of the Sounders. And not only that, when you look at that TFC team, and Roman Torres is such a danger on set pieces as a target man. Although it was interesting to see him essentially be a decoy just to keep Axel Schoberg out of dangerous areas on set pieces in Colorado. But beyond that, who on Toronto is going to mark Roman Torres?
00:31:17
Speaker
Drew Moore you would think would be the person I just think Drew Moore is apt to get overwhelmed by Roman Torres as is most of it as our most defenders in this league Yeah, I mean all of a sudden that advanced the ability to have and you know You speak of players that are not great in the air, but are short whereas Christian rolled on is kind of the opposite This is a guy who's like 5 8 if yes, I'm sure he's more like 5 6 but he's listed at 5 8 Who's listed as those? 5 8
00:31:43
Speaker
No, I know, I know exactly, but I think he's listed at 5'8". And he's great in the air, and so maybe you add him to this group is my point. Then you have Chad Marshall, you have Roman Torres, you have Nelson Valdez. That's a lot of big bodies. That's a lot of people that are really good in the air. It just feels like, even though the Sounders haven't scored a ton of set pieces, I feel like they've come really close to scoring a lot of set pieces, especially off of guys like Torres and Marshall.
00:32:13
Speaker
And if Andres Avantiis is, I don't think, I don't know, I guess this is gonna be one of the big decisions that Schmester's gonna have to make, is what to do with that kind of other midfield spot that has kind of been a rotating cast of characters. The problem with Andreas is that he has to start on the left, and that means Jordan Morris on the right, and so. Right, it creates a whole, I agree, you're totally right. It creates a whole cascade of problems.
00:32:39
Speaker
Right, Andres Yvongis was clearly the most effective when Morris was the forward when you could put like a Flocco Fernandez or an Eric, or no, I guess you would put Nelson, you would, you would are putting Nico Ledero out on the right. Or Christian there for a couple of games too.
00:32:53
Speaker
Right, and you could have Clint Dempsey when he was on the field. It made Andres Avanget a much, much more effective player. But yeah, when he's kind of forced to, when he's being forced into the lineup now, it just doesn't feel like as good of a fit. And the thing that I found a little to kind of circle back, I was a little
00:33:13
Speaker
I was a little confused. To me, the reason you start in Andres Avantiets is you accept the tactical deficiencies because he's so good on set pieces. I don't think he took a single set piece in the first half against Colorado, which made me just think like, well, why is he on the field? And Lidero had been really good, but he was really bad in the first half on set pieces. That was the one decision that seemed very strange to me.
00:33:37
Speaker
I agree with you. I mean, I agree with the theory that, like, Andrei Savantia's greatest contribution to this team is going to be on dead balls. So, once you take that out of the equation, why are you starting him over Flaco? Why are you starting him over a number of different options, to be honest with you? Because, you know, Seattle didn't have Evans, didn't have Freiburg for that game. But even once you take set pieces out of the occasion, is he better than even Aaron Kovar would be on the right side? Or is he even better than, like, an Hercules Gomez?
00:34:06
Speaker
is even better than just putting, like we're seeing Schmetzer do now, putting O'Neill Fisher out there in a defensive role.
00:34:11
Speaker
Right. Yeah, exactly. Right. Or moving Dovin Jones up the pitch a little bit. But yeah, I agree with you there. I don't think we're going to see Andres Avanti at the start, but I could see him coming in as a late substitute maybe and wreaking some havoc. But anyway, that's probably a good place to call this a segment. I really appreciate you doing this with me, Richard. We're going to come back.
Conclusion and Promotions
00:34:36
Speaker
We're going to take your questions. I don't get to stick around for the question and answer.
00:34:39
Speaker
No, we're not going to let you stick around. That's the way we're putting our foot down. Well, I appreciate you coming off the show, so that's fine. But do follow Richard on Twitter. He's at Richard Farley. Check out his stuff on 442. Is it 442US or 442USA? It's 442.com slash US.
00:34:59
Speaker
slash u.s. Yeah, you gotta get that slash u.s. in there. I found this out the tough way. It is, if you want any American content, you cannot just go to 442.com. You will be looking all day. But they have a ton of great American content. You just gotta nordle it. Yeah, I think we're doing it good. You gotta find it. Right, exactly. But anyway, I appreciate you coming on, giving us a little bit more of a national perspective on this. No problem. But you're listening to...
00:35:31
Speaker
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Speaker
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Speaker
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00:36:24
Speaker
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MLS Cup Viewing Party Details
00:37:06
Speaker
Welcome back. Lots of questions, I guess. Let's
00:37:12
Speaker
Let's get some questions going. Oh, fancy music. Okay, here we go. RJ Hex asks a whole lot of goals there. A reflection of defenses in the East or is TFC that good?
00:37:30
Speaker
You know, we did kind of go over this a little bit. I'm very skeptical that TFC is that good. You know, Josie Outdoors is playing as well as he's played in a long, long time. But, you know, Michael Bradley's still, you know, I don't think Michael Bradley is a better man than Nicholas Lidero. I mean, I guess I think Lidero and Giavinko probably cancel each other out, I think.
00:38:00
Speaker
Uh, Alonzo and Bradley probably kind of cancel each other out. Uh, you know, I, I, I think Morris is probably better than whoever they have coming out from out wide. I think, uh, uh, you know, Josie's probably better than Nelson Valdez is probably not going too far down the limb, but I, you know, you go down this roster. I don't, I don't think I'm not, I don't feel like we're overmatched. Don't put it that way.
00:38:23
Speaker
Yeah, Toronto kind of reminds me of like the 2014, 2013, or 2015, 2013, 2012 kind of Sounders teams that were like good and talented enough, but also pretty flawed.
00:38:40
Speaker
So, I don't know I mean I think I don't want to undersell them because I think they're a legitimately good team But but they're not a juggernaut and in a way that you know, maybe the playoffs would would be deep to believe You know, I don't know I mean it's gonna be a tough game I think people are gonna focus on the fact that they
00:38:58
Speaker
Definitely have more star power in the attack and that's fair But you know, I think even though TFC gave up fewer goals during the regular season I think it's fair to say that the Sounders defense is significantly better so yeah, I mean it's You know, it's it's pretty evenly matched. I think I think the Sounders are slightly better But it's it's gonna be it's gonna be a nerve-wracking one, I think Okay, yeah, let's see
00:39:29
Speaker
Matt Oak asks, give me your final lineup and final MVP. I don't think there's any way that they don't start pretty much the same lineup they've been starting all playoffs. You know, I think Valdez up top, Morris on the left.
00:39:47
Speaker
Even shits, I guess, will probably start, which is slightly, I mean, that was what we saw against Colorado, but slightly different. But yeah, I mean, I think they're going to dance with a girl that brung them, so to speak. And, you know, I mean, we talked about really wishing that Brad Evans could get on the pitch, but I mean, Tyram Mears has played pretty well in the playoffs. So it's hard to, you know, bench him for the final, I think, considering how much he's been. Oh, yeah. I don't think there's any way we're going to see
00:40:15
Speaker
Evans playing right back. If we see Evans, I think it might be in place of Yvonne Chitz. That's the one spot that I think there's some question about, right? The Yvonne Chitz, Flaco Fernandez, Eric Freberg, Brad Evans, all are probably in the mix for that other midfield position. But anyway.
00:40:40
Speaker
parameters has to be in the field because he is going to get an assist from uh... giving the ball to hurt gomez who's going to cross it to nelson-meldez to winnes and all its cup there you go let's see uh... mark three to sarah asks where are you watching the game well we're going to be having cheese i a m
00:41:03
Speaker
I'm losing it. We are going to be having a viewing party at Queen Anne Beer Hall, so that's definitely where I'm planning to watch the game. We're going to have details about that, so if you are interested in joining Nosadietes and Sounder at Heart and other assorted folk, you should join us at Queen Anne Beer Hall. It is an all-ages venue if you went there. That's where we had our
00:41:27
Speaker
Viewing party for the Champions League game against Club America the game didn't go real well But I thought that was that was probably the best venue that we've used for any of our viewing parties Yeah, I'll be there as well. I I I watched the Seahawks win the Super Bowl pretty much by myself and I swore that I would never ever let that happen again, so I
00:41:51
Speaker
Yeah, I will, I will also be a communion bureau. Like it won't though. I'm going to make a blanket fort and hide it until Sunday morning. That's not a bad idea.
Merits of Winning the MLS Cup
00:42:02
Speaker
Nick Payton asks, is it better to win MLS Cup in a season where you dominate all season or in a year like this one, or does it matter?
00:42:10
Speaker
Uh, I think they're both have their merits and hopefully we'll find out next year what it's like to win one when you dominate all season. Um, I mean, I think everybody wants their team to kick everybody's ass and go down in history as being a, you know, one of the best, but, um, you feel like you've earned it in a year like this in a way that, you know, maybe in a year where you just clean everybody's clocks, you don't feel that way as much.
00:42:39
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I really wanted the trouble in 2014. I thought that would have been a really amazing achievement. I guess that would have felt better than this one. But I think realistically, and I've given this a lot of thought, I keep meaning to research it, but I have this feeling that teams that win their first MLS Cup oftentimes do it from
00:43:02
Speaker
a position like
00:43:19
Speaker
me reading into it or if that's a legitimate thing, but I kind of feel like your first MLS Cup, this is kind of how it usually is, is you make kind of a late, you kind of come from inside the pack, so to speak, and either way Toronto FC or the Sounders are going to do that. And I think for either one of those teams, it would have been pretty tough to be front runners all the way.
Speculation on Sounders Without Dempsey
00:43:53
Speaker
I mean, I'd say that they don't need him, but I think you're kinda crazy if you don't think that the Sounders are a better team with him than they are without him.
00:44:05
Speaker
now if if Dempsey were
00:44:24
Speaker
Was it Avonchitz and Evans? No. Who were the wides? I guess Flacco and Avonchitz were the wide midfielders. Yeah, because Dempsey went down right around the time Flacco was capable of starting. Right. So yeah, I don't remember exactly who the wide... I guess I could go look, but it would have been interesting to see this lineup essentially
00:44:45
Speaker
putting Dempsey in place of Ledero and moving Ledero out to the left because Ledero was or out to the right because Ledero was really really effective coming in like cutting in and I think we saw that in the in the first leg against Dallas he was playing in on the on the right if I remember correctly with Eric Freiburg ostensibly playing as a center mid and I would love to see that a little bit more I have a feeling that might be the look that the sounders go with if
00:45:13
Speaker
if Freiburg's healthy, otherwise we'll probably see a Von Schitt's. But there's, you know, I think that the Sounders would have been better. I think that if they have Clint Dempsey, I think they go into this as the favorites, personally.
00:45:24
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I think that if anything, it should make you hope that Dempsey can come back more because, I mean, this team has, I think, been, like I said earlier, the best in the league for quite some time now. And, you know, adding Dempsey to that and another designated player, most likely, is pretty exciting. So maybe they don't need him, but, I mean, it's kind of like we talked about with the last question, like,
00:45:51
Speaker
It's pretty nice to see your team just destroy everyone. And that would be kind of a cool thing to look forward to next year. Drone67 asks, what do you think the best vehicle to road trip to Toronto would be? The Concorde. Are you going to get towed? It's on a road trip if you're in a plane. Sure it is. I mean, I don't know.
00:46:16
Speaker
The best probably one of those like snow shovel vehicles you see in the Antarctic. I want to do like a VW camper bus. You wouldn't make it. Yeah.
00:46:31
Speaker
I've always, I loved those things. I grew up wanting one of those so bad. They have one kind of on display at REI, and I'd never really actually been in one of the camper tops. They're such a cool little vehicle, but you're right, they don't run real well. No, if you left now, you might get there in time. My parents drove around the country in a, actually it was a Corvair van.
00:47:01
Speaker
Is this an origin story? Yeah, this is an origin story. I think an Audi RS6 would actually be the... Do they still make that, like, a station wagon with 800 horsepower or whatever? Oh. That would be good. That would be fun. You could probably get one made. Probably. Jeslo Photo asks, which jersey should we, in the stands, wear to the final?
Jersey Choices for Final Match
00:47:24
Speaker
How does your answer change if we play in Toronto? Well, we're playing in Toronto. We're playing in Toronto.
00:47:30
Speaker
whichever one you like the best yeah even if I was going to the game what would I wear if I was going to the game I guess I'd wear I'm right now I'm feeling the the blues so I guess that's probably what I'd I'd wear I've been wearing that one lately where the Super Saiyan the Super Saiyan is pretty sweet the problem with the Super Saiyan I have to admit is that it stains really easily
00:47:55
Speaker
And mine is, uh, Jesus, as you might, as you might imagine. And if you're ever eating around me, you probably won't be surprised that it has some food stains on it. I, uh, I would probably wear a big ass jacket or coat because it's going to be cold as hell. Um, so it doesn't really matter what you could accept the whites. You can't wear the whites, but everything else, you know, you better not be wearing no whites. Yeah. Only God's going to know though. So.
00:48:25
Speaker
Okay, Timerfi has a couple questions. Go for it, Timerfi. He says, he says, sorry for all the questions I'm all for today. First one, do you think Clint, if retired, would stay with the team in any capacity? Nope. I can't, honestly, like no, yeah, no offense to Clint Dempsey, but I just don't see him in a post playing career as a coach or... What if he created a vice president of...
00:48:54
Speaker
no treading on me. I don't think Clint Dempsey is a player who's destined to be coaching or commentating or like can you imagine he'll take Taylor Graham's job.
00:49:12
Speaker
I can see Clint Dempsey like coaching his kids youth soccer team and having a fishing show on like outdoor life or whatever. Yes, that seems much more likely. He would be a great host for a fishing show. Probably. We've seen a fishing show where he was catching fish and wrapping at the same time.
Jermaine Jones' Potential Departure
00:49:30
Speaker
He'd scare the fish. He wouldn't catch any if he was wrapping.
00:49:35
Speaker
Second question is in a league that still probably needs bigger personality stories or stories to draw in greater interest to draw in greater interest How big of a loss would JJ be? I'm assuming he's talking about Jermaine Jones See, I don't I don't know that it does need that. I think that that's more useful for Leagues that are waning in popularity rather than on the uptick I mean, I don't know I'll be sad if Jermaine Jones leaves
00:50:05
Speaker
But I don't know if that's the thing that MLS is missing right now. I don't think that's the thing that's gonna get them over the hump as a lot of players like that.
00:50:25
Speaker
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00:50:39
Speaker
and puts any money they make into good rates, products and services for you, the members. They have credit cards with competitive rates, checking and savings accounts and loans for all sorts of things, even bicycles. Verity is federally insured by the NCUA and an equal housing opportunity lender. Anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in Washington state can become a member and we would love to have you.
00:51:14
Speaker
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00:51:32
Speaker
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Nelson Valdez's Contract Evaluation
00:51:51
Speaker
Tim Murphy's last question is, if you knew Valdez's 1.5 year contract would play out like this, no production, regular season, post-season heroics, how quickly do you sign him? I still probably wouldn't have. I mean, if I'm being honest, I've loved every second of it, but I would have loved it more if
00:52:14
Speaker
Yeah, I I mean I don't know I it's hard to to separate those cuz if I Mean he's been legitimately really good in the playoffs like every game in the playoffs. He's been a useful player and I I guess if I knew that he would lead us to an MLS Cup Would I still be willing to sign him?
00:52:41
Speaker
Yeah, I, even if I, I think I would, I honestly like, I don't think I would bring him back next year based on what he's done. Like I wouldn't bring him back for a second year on this contract, but I think if you told me that you, you're going to sign Nelson Valdez to a DP contract, he's going to be pretty bad in the regular season, but he's going to basically lead you to the MLS cup final his second year. I mean,
00:53:09
Speaker
I don't I don't know if it's reasonable to say he's led the team. I mean he's played really well but he's still not playing at a DP level with what he's doing in the playoffs and and I feel like
00:53:22
Speaker
I don't know. I feel like he's playing at a D. I think he's earning his paycheck in the playoffs. I think he's earning his paycheck. I think that's fair, but I don't know. To the spirit of the question, he did score the goal that got us into the playoffs, right? Well, he did. But maybe if you make a better signing, you don't have to play KC. You don't have to play those games.
00:53:47
Speaker
Maybe, you know, maybe you're where Dallas is sitting and you've got home field advantage. I don't know. I don't know. I just, I like the, the, the, this is the analytics in you. This is all your time on lookout landing that's making you feel this way.
00:54:09
Speaker
Okay, SS FC victory lap asks, she has two questions. Did any or all of you or all the three of you cry during the Western Conference final?
Hosts' Emotional Reactions to Sounders' Victory
00:54:21
Speaker
I thought you know, it's funny because I had thought I would have been really emotional when they
00:54:33
Speaker
when they qualified. Like I thought it would have, and I almost felt like it was a relief more than it was, like I was really excited, but I was not near tears. I was like, if I'm being totally honest, like I, and I don't know, I don't know how I'll feel if they win MLS Cup. I feel like somehow it's like I've created this detachment that I get really, really bummed out when they don't win.
00:54:59
Speaker
But somehow the way that this season, I don't know. It's weird. I don't think so. I definitely didn't cry after the Western Conference Championship. I was really excited and I was pumped up, but I was watching at home by myself. So maybe that was why. Yeah, I'm kind of the same way where like I don't weirdly like with the team that I feel like I care about the most by far, I don't get nearly as emotional. And I think it's just like,
00:55:24
Speaker
because I'm like so invested and so, I don't know what the best way to put it is, but like, yeah, I just like, I get a lot more outwardly emotional about like, you know, regular season Memphis football games than I do about the Sounders. And it's not, it's just like, I don't know, I don't really understand it at all. I definitely didn't cry.
00:55:53
Speaker
I doubt I will if they win the Elm last cup. And I don't really understand it. I kind of wish I wasn't that way, honestly. But it's not that I enjoy it any less or it's any less fun or exciting. It's just, it doesn't hit the same part of me that some other sports do.
00:56:11
Speaker
yeah i would say that that's weirdly i have a feeling let me put it this way and i i should say that if i was sitting in the stands for the game or if i was at like a big viewing party i think it would have been a very different emotional experience and and so i think part of it is the environment that you're in
00:56:33
Speaker
But I will also just like I'll say it like there like I want to say was the 2003 2004 Major League playoffs when the A's got eliminated they had a 2-0 lead against the Red Sox and they blew that lead I I don't think I've ever been more like physically angry
00:56:59
Speaker
at some of those losses, anything in history. In some ways, I feel like it broke me because I broke through this emotional barrier of being so mad at one of those losses. And I can't remember which one it was that just got me really, really fed up. But I have experienced some great highs cheering for the Sounders, but I'm like flummoxed by the idea that I did not
00:57:25
Speaker
I was not as emotional at this result as I thought it would have been. You're doing nothing to dispel the myth that you guys are in the last bots. Right, aren't we? That's fun. I almost lost it when they were showing Ozzy on the sidelines right before the whistle blew. Yeah, that was as close as I came to tearing up. That was pretty cool. It was. It definitely was.
00:57:54
Speaker
Second question is what type of beverage would you most likely drink out of a trophy? Champagne, I think Yeah, especially like the big trophy, you know, yeah, if you're gonna drink out of a big trophy, you gotta do champagne. You're right You're right Bill Jones STR PTS. Can you give me some tips for dealing with my in-game anxiety? It's beyond booze. I
00:58:21
Speaker
Yeah, I don't have a good one for that because if I did, I would be using it myself. My anxiety level is through the roof, I feel like, more than it is. And maybe that's affecting my ability to fully enjoy these games. But I don't think I could barely breathe for the first half of the FC Dallas game. I was similarly nervous in the second leg of the Colorado game.
00:58:50
Speaker
And so I don't have a good answer for you. I guess the way I deal with it is I am like on Twitter and I'm trying to kind of work and that helps relieve some of the tension, but I don't think most people are gonna do that. Yeah, if I, man, if I knew how to control my anxiety about literally anything in life, I would be a much happier person. So I'm really the wrong person to ask that question.
00:59:21
Speaker
I'd like it for it. Blanket for it. And pacing. Okay. Turner ESQ. Let's just say Turner Square. How long would you agree to give up sex in exchange for an analyst cup? Pretend you're single if that makes the answer more interesting.
00:59:41
Speaker
I mean I I'll also I would probably I'd easily it's it's see it's kind of an unfair question because I end up giving up sex for inordinate periods of time as it is so I'm really used to that by now I mean that's the life of a having two four-year-olds at home 200 kids under four you don't get to do a lot of sex I
01:00:12
Speaker
Well, but he said to pretend like you're single, so... Pretend like I'm single. I mean, in my single days, I was not super on point either, so... I mean, I think that's the thing. I can easily go. I would happily give up a couple months of sex for... Yeah, I think the timeframe is hugely expanded if you're single. Yeah. Because it's like, yeah, you gotta put an effort then. Right, exactly.
01:00:40
Speaker
This I was I saw this question and I was like, I don't know what I'm gonna do with this answer But I may as well just put it out there I'm not gonna answer it. Yeah, that's fine. Good But you just let me hang myself out there to dry Well, you have a you have like a good like cuz there's no way I can look good No matter what answer I give so yeah, and you at least have the excuse Yeah
01:01:07
Speaker
Okay, let's go back to a semi-serious question. Pbar96 asks, what's a reasonable foreign transfer offer for JMO after 2016? Both what you would expect and what you'd consider accepting. And then he says, same question for Roldan. Roldan is not there yet, where you're gonna get a lot of offers for him. Morris, I think you could expect to get three or four million, and I think you'd be crazy to take that.
01:01:36
Speaker
yeah i i don't think i i think i'm with you there is that there's surely a number that i would be willing to accept if i'm the sounders like
01:01:45
Speaker
If someone comes to you with a $15 million transfer offer, you'd be stupid to not take it. And I don't know, I guess I don't know what that number is. I mean, maybe it's 10. But if you're gonna tell me you're gonna transfer Jordan Morris for something on the scale of DeAndre Yedlin, which was like $3 million, I think you'd be crazy to accept that.
01:02:08
Speaker
And so I guess what I'm saying is I think that the value that Morris has to the sounders, at least in 2017, is so much greater than what anyone's realistically going to pay for them. I don't see there being a very high likelihood that the sounders are going to accept and offer.
01:02:28
Speaker
if someone comes in like put another someone comes in the $5,000,000 offer for Jordan Morris and the Sounders accepted it I guess I would understand where they're coming from but I would be really bummed out I just think that he is important to the team in ways that like DeAndre Evans a great player I'd love to have him on this team but I totally understood why they
01:02:49
Speaker
they let him go. They also got two years out of Giondre Aydland. I feel like I want at least two years of Jordan Morris before they send him, you know, before they let him go to Europe. I don't think, and for what it's worth, I don't think there's any chance that that he's going to get transferred to Europe this offseason. Similarly, I don't think there's any realistic chance that Christian Roldan is going to get transferred. And I, you know, if someone wants to pay two million dollars for Christian Roldan, I guess
01:03:16
Speaker
I guess I'd take that, but I don't- Yeah, cause you get max allocation for that. Yeah, you get max allocation for it, but I don't think anyone's gonna pay. I don't see that happening. And both those guys are really valuable roster pieces for, you know, if Jordan Morris is off cap and Christian Roldan is, you know, on the third year of his original deal, so maybe he's making $90,000. I mean, that's really hard. You're not gonna find that kind of value.
01:03:44
Speaker
easily he's not gonna be easily replaced so I would like I don't think either one is gonna be transferred I hope that answers the question but there's yeah so maybe like 10 2 million for rolled on and 10 for Morris is what I would take okay and the last question better than asks which spell is the best metaphor for Jordan Morris's game winner magic missile firebolt fireball or chain lightning
01:04:15
Speaker
Is this question related to the question about how long we go? If you want to make it about that, sure. I go. I don't know. I go with Chain Lightning. It was good. That's a good one. Yeah. I like that. That was good. I have nothing against the team. I just know nothing about it at all.
01:04:42
Speaker
Okay, that's it. That's it, that's it. Well, probably a good place to wrap it up then. I have to help get my kids ready for bed. I'm sure Lickit is in the same boat. Aaron, on the other hand, is just going to go off and do all kinds of things that people that don't have kids are going to do, so good for him.
01:05:03
Speaker
But we're going to MLS Cup. We are surely hopefully going to record one more time before MLS Cup. I guess I shouldn't guarantee anything being the way that we are. But this has been a great ride this year. I have had a ton of fun and I'm really looking forward to doing two more shows, which I hope, you know, before the season, before we kind of go into off-season mode. But this has been a great ride. I love that the Sounders have taken us on it.
01:05:32
Speaker
And I'm looking forward to this Toronto FC match. I feel like the chances the Sanders have are great. And with that, I will thank our sponsors Verity Credit Union, Full Pool Wines, Constellation & Company, Queen Anne Acupuncture, who, by the way, Queen Anne Acupuncture, if you go to their website and you put in the promo code MLSCUP, she will give you a free acupuncture session.
01:06:01
Speaker
for as long as you book it before December 10th, so get on that. And also, Designers Marble. I am Jeremiah O'Shan, signing off on behalf of Aaron Campo and Lick It. This is No Study at This, and remember, you have never yet alone.
01:06:17
Speaker
Green Douglas fir where the water's cut through. Down to wild mountains and tangents you flew. Canadian Northwest to the ocean so blue. It's Roll On, Columbia Roll On. Roll On, Columbia Roll On. Roll On, Columbia Roll On. Your power is turning our darkness to dawn. Roll On, Columbia Roll On.